Jannik Sinner, Top 4 dream at US Open: what it takes to make it happen
A new major goal ahead of the last Slam of the year.
Jannik Sinner, after Toronto, could further continue his great rise. The phenomenal South Tyrolean will celebrate his own birthday (he was born in Innichen on April 16, 2001) on the court, in the match that coincides with his debut at the 2023 Cincinnati Masters 1000. But also with his first match as No. 6 in the ATP world rankings. An already historic achievement, but one that in the run-up to the US Open can still be improved upon.
In fact, if top results come in Cincinnati as well, Sinner could have the luxury of showing up at Flushing Meadows with a spot in the top four seeds at the US Open. This, in addition to prestige, would save him potentially very complex challenges against the world’s top three (Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev) at least until the semifinals.
As world No. 6, getting to the No. 4 position in a single tournament is by no means a given. But neither is it impossible. To leave Cincinnati in the top four of the ATP rankings you need to put Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev behind you. And to do that there are several combinations that would have to happen.
The big goal would, of course, be achieved if Sinner also wins the Cincinnati Masters 1000 after the one in Toronto (in that case number 4 in the ATP ranking would be arithmetic). A new triumph in Ohio as well, however, is not indispensable for this purpose: the Alto Adige native would be fourth in the world even if he lost the final, if one of Rublev or Tsitsipas won it, or if he stopped in the semifinals as long as Ruud and Rune did not reach the same point in the tournament and in that case Tsitsipas was not one of the finalists.
Even a quarterfinal would be sufficient for Sinner, but with a higher number of combinations. Indeed, a final other than Tsitsipas versus Rublev would be necessary, but so would the eliminations of Rune before the third round and Ruud before the quarters.
